iWill Do Whatever It Takes
by anquhluh
Summary: Carly learns that Freddie is about to do something she never imagined. With her & Freddie's potential relationship on the line, Carly puts a plan in action to get him back. Will it be enough? Part of the Creddie Fans April/May "Stay My Baby" FF Challenge.
1. iRealize It's Too Little Too Late

Carly Shay walked into Ridgeway on the first day of her senior year in a wonderful mood. She parked her blue Volkswagen Jetta in the student lot and walked into the building. She smiled as she looked around and saw that nothing at Ridgeway had changed. She tried to ignore the fact that at this time next year, she'd be walking into unfamiliar territory.

Carly set out to find Sam and Freddie, who she'd told to leave without her after she had a minor fashion dilemma that morning. Things were a bit different between the three of them lately. Two important things happened, although Freddie wasn't aware of one.

First of all, Freddie had gotten a girlfriend. It had happened out of nowhere. Carly and Sam didn't know that Freddie had met a girl at his cousin's wedding in California over Christmas break. Adriana was Freddie's cousin's best friend's little sister, who was starting her first year of college at the University of Washington's Seattle campus a semester early. They hit it off and Freddie started to make up excuses why he couldn't hang out with Carly and Sam as much. After a few weeks, he felt guilty about lying and told them about Adriana. Sam was thoroughly convinced that Freddie made her up, until they met her at the Groovy Smoothie in March, when she and Freddie became an official couple.

As fate would have it, it was while Freddie was away for his cousin's wedding that Carly realized she might have some more than friendly feelings for him, which was the second thing. She'd thought it to herself ever since the day she kissed Freddie for saving her life, but questioned herself after Freddie had told her to give it time and make sure her feelings were true. She noticed Freddie moving on, not doing the little things he used to do, but thought it was some kind of tactic to make her jealous. And while she was green with envy each time that Freddie talked to another girl, even Sam, she realized it wasn't a tactic.

She had broken down and told Sam about her feelings while Freddie was gone. It was true that absence made the heart grow fonder, and she felt like her heart was going to explode while Freddie was gone. She finally admitted to herself that she liked, if not loved, Freddie Benson, and she needed her best friend's help more than ever.

They sat cross legged on Carly's black and white bedspread, eating popcorn and watching The Notebook. They'd watched Sam's pick, "Boogie Bear Takes Manhattan" first. Now, Sam was trying to hold down her popcorn while she watched Carly tear up at every sappy moment of the movie.

Carly looked back at Sam, picking up on the look on her face, a mixture of confusion and disgust. "How are you not crying?"

"I must not get love, 'cause this chizz makes me wanna hurl."

"It's beautiful. It reminds me of.."

Sam perked up. Carly hadn't mentioned a guy in a while, this was juicy news. "Of who, Carls?"

"Freddie," Carly mumbled inaudibly.

"What?"

"Freddie," she said. She heard her voice say an old name with new meaning.

Sam looked at her, and knew she wasn't kidding. For once, Sam tried to approach the situation seriously, putting her love for tormenting Freddie aside. "Woah, you gotta tell him."

"I want to, on New Year's. Is that dumb?"

"Nah. If the feeling's there, there's no point in fighting it."

"I didn't expect you to be so cool with this," Carly admitted.

"I'm making a once in a lifetime exception. If you decide you're in love with Gibby tomorrow, I'll show no mercy."

Carly laughed, hugging her best friend. But despite the two weeks of anticipation, she never got to tell him how she really felt. Instead, she was in for the shock of her life. Her eyes lit up upon his return, and his did too, only this time it was thoughts of another illuminating his brown orbs. From that point on, she got to hear about Adriana every day. She got to meet the beautiful girl who made her and Sam feel below average. Worst of all, she got to watch Freddie fall in love with her. For the first time ever, she got a glimpse into how Freddie felt all those years as she experienced unrequited love.


	2. iDon't Know You Anymore

Back on the first day of school, Carly was at her locker, adorning it with pictures and mini-posters. She had her PearPod on listening to the same old love songs that lovesick girls have been listening to since the beginning of time. She was engrossed in the lyrics, relating every word to Freddie Benson, the one that got away. While she knew that they were young and commitment wasn't a concept often explored in high school, she couldn't shake this notion that she was missing out something more.

Carly moved so absent-mindedly that she didn't realize Freddie and Sam coming down the hall towards her. When she did spot them, she was perplexed by the sight ahead of her. Sam had her arm around Freddie, smiling and saying something that she couldn't quite make out yet, while Freddie disconcertingly begged her to quiet down. As they got closer, Carly finally heard what Sam was basically cheering.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Fredward Benson is the man," she boasted. "That's right folks, Freddie Benson, former tech geek and now full time ladies' man."

They got closer to Carly, where Sam replaced her acclamation with a more direct question. "Hey Carls, have you met the new and improved Freddie Benson?"

"Can't say that I have, although judging by your excitement I think I should be a little scared."

"Tell her the great news, Fredamame."

"Sam, I really didn't want people to know. It's kind of private," Freddie said, clearly uncomfortable with the situation at hand.

"This is the one time a secret that you have is worth sharing, stop being so shy about it. Tell her."

He sighed, shifting uncomfortably in place. "Well, as you know, Addie and I—"

"I can't take this! You're being such a girl about it, I'll just tell her," Sam said. Carly couldn't tell if Freddie was annoyed at her interjection or relieved he didn't have to speak for himself. "Carls, after six months of brainwashing Addie into falling in love with him, Freddie's taking a step in the right direction."

"I still have no idea what you're talking about."

"Our little Fredward is about to lose his V-card to a college chick, this Friday, after the show. I've never been so proud of the little loser in my life."

"What?" Carly said, trying not to sound too outraged. After all, she'd never earned her right to be outraged.

"Uh, yeah, I'm decided I'm going to do it," Freddie did all he could to avert Carly's gaze as he felt crimson embarrassment creeping up his neck.

"Oh," Carly answered, feeling as though she'd gotten the wind knocked out of her. Her headphones hung around her neck, the sound of a love song faintly audible to her only. She was experiencing what could only be her world spiraling down around her. Still, she tried to pull it together, because that's what Carly Shay did. "Congrats Freddie, that's…cool."

"Now that you guys know, I don't want you two saying anything to anyone else. And _please_ don't act weird around her when you guys see her any point before Friday."

Carly felt her lips mumble some sort of re-assurement, although she was sure her mind and heart weren't in agreement. For the rest of the day, Carly wandered about blankly.

Carly never imagined what it would be like to see Addie after hearing the news. Yet, the next day, as she and Sam sat in the Groovy Smoothie waiting for Freddie, she was met with just that. He walked through the door, seemingly alone at first. As Carly saw his arm extend to hold the door for someone behind him, she hoped it was anyone but Addie. Upon seeing the girl who seemed to have a sort of glow following her everywhere, Carly was again let down.

Her body began to operate without her mind again. While she physically sat there making conversation and laughing, appearing to the untrained eye as happy, she emotionally wallowed in her misery. She looked at Freddie, who never noticed because his eyes were fixed on his girlfriend. She also looked at Addie herself. She could see why Freddie would love her; her chocolate brown hair fell down her back in soft, loose curls, with bangs framing her model-esque face. Her cheekbones were defined, constantly coated with the sunlight's glaze. Her lips were always painted a glistening pink. She had curves that supermodels paid for, and knew how to dress to accentuate them.

The outfit she had on that day was particularly jaw dropping. She walked in wearing a black, fitted blazer that ended mid-torso with the sleeves slightly rolled up. Underneath was a gray tank top, tucked into a bubble hemmed blue skirt. Her long, bare legs led down to black bootie heels. She looked like she'd just walked off a runway. There wasn't a man in the room, including T-Bo, who hadn't stolen a glance over at her.

Carly looked down at her own outfit. She didn't look half bad, but she wasn't Addie. She had on a pair of black leggings that ended mid-calf, a black, ruffled skirt, pink Converse sneakers, and a pink penny T-shirt that read "Hams Need Love." She couldn't help but compare herself to the girl who had Freddie's heart. She came to the conclusion there was nothing to compare. It was like asking someone to pick who was more attractive, an awkward teenager or a confident woman.

Suddenly, an idea ignited in Carly's mind. The more that she thought about it, the more the idea spread, like a wildfire raging in Carly Shay's mind. She knew what she had to do to win Freddie's heart back, and with the right tools, she would do just that.


	3. iChange Everything

"Carly, for the record, I'm totally against this," Sam said as they walked into the mall. "If you really still care about Freddie, just tell him, kid. I don't think one girl changed how he felt about you for the last 6 years."

"When was the last time Freddie decided to have sex with me?" Carly mumbled, her anger and jealously crystal clear.

"Outside of his weird, pubescent dreams, probably never. But Carly, that doesn't mean anything. This chick is in college. She's our age but she's in a more mature environment. He's probably giving into pressure, like if he doesn't do it with her someone else will."

It was the most sense Sam had made in a long time. Ironically, it was the time in which Carly was least inclined to listen to her advice. "Sam, she looks more mature. She makes guys think sex. And if that's what Freddie wants, that's just what I'm going to do. I'll do whatever it takes to get him back."

Sam sighed. She knew she was fighting a losing battle, but before she let her best friend do something stupid, she would fight it to the death. "Carls, I'm totally with you getting your dork back, but this isn't what you want. You don't want to be just a piece of ass to him. You _love_ him, and that goes way beyond lust."

Carly was growing annoyed. She didn't see why Sam was getting in the way of her plan so much. She really thought she'd help her with this, not try to talk her out of it. "Sam, please. Just let me do what I have to do, alright. This is what it's come down to and that's that."

Sam sighed. She tried her best, but it was clear that Carly was going to go through this transformation of hers whether she agreed with it or not. So she followed her around, in and out of various stores offering her opinion as much as she could without voicing her objections.

At the end of the day, Carly was satisfied. She had spent quite a bit of money, but she was confident that her transformation would go off flawlessly and soon enough, Freddie would be hers.

It was Thursday morning, one day before Freddie's plans were to happen and one day after Carly and Sam's trip to the mall. Freddie was sitting in front of his locker, focusing on his French notes when he heard someone call his name from a group of guys walking past him. He looked up to see some football players who he only knew vaguely.

"So Benson, I think I'm going to start watching your web show more often, now that there's something worth watching," one said with a smug look on his face.

"Yeah, you guys sure thought of a way to get your number of viewers up," said another.

"Amongst other things," the first one laughed.

Freddie looked at them baffled. They walked away before he could open his mouth to retaliate. He momentarily wondered to himself what they could be talking about, but went back to his notes without giving it much further thought. He studied intently for 10 minutes, until he was again interrupted.

"Hey Freddie," he heard from a familiar voice. His eyes shot up to look forward and met creamy, white legs, poised in black leather heels adorned with studded straps. His eyes followed these legs up, meeting the hem of a black tulle ballet style skirt with a lacy black overlay. A jade green tank top hung loosely off of her alabaster shoulders, dipping low in the front. Finally, his eyes met hers, which were framed by black eyeliner and smoky gray eye shadow.

It took Freddie a minute to recognize the girl standing in front of him as Carly. He stood up clumsily, trying not to let on that he'd been staring. He uttered some sort of greeting back, mesmerized as her tongue flicked her pink lips.

He tried to concentrate on what she was saying, but he felt like he was on auto-pilot. He'd known Carly Shay for what seemed like forever. He'd seen her get dressed up on plenty of occasions. Never had he seen her look so grown up. It scared him to see how beautiful she was, because he knew that the more beautiful she became the more guys he'd see her with.

"But wait, why do I care?" he asked himself. "She's turned me down time after time. She showed interest in me for, what, a week out of the almost 6 years I showed interest in her? And I have a girlfriend, a girlfriend who I love more than anything in the world. Right?"

Carly's voice interrupted his internal conflict. "So even though Sam can't make it, I still want to rehearse. So I'll see you later?"

"Yeah, I'll see you later, curvy—I-I mean Carly."

Her lips curved up in an unfamiliar way. It seemed almost...seductive. Freddie knew that he couldn't possibly be right, because Carly would never try to seduce any guy. That wasn't her.

That afternoon, Freddie canceled the plans he had made with Addie to go rehearse with Carly. Spencer let him in as he left to go to Socko's. Freddie went up to the studio, setting up his laptop while waiting for Carly.

Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder and a breath on his neck. "Boo," Carly whispered, causing Freddie to spin around so that they were face to face. "Time to rehearse," she said, for once not commenting on how close Freddie was to her.

As she walked over to where she usually stood, Freddie noticed she'd swapped the skirt for barely there black shorts and the strappy heels for chunkier boots. All throughout rehearsal, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. Had her legs always seemed so endless? Had her hips always switched like that when she walked? He was captivated, almost hypnotized by her every movement.

Other than when he spoke to her, he'd barely thought of Addie all day. He knew it too, and he felt guilty. Addie was his beautiful girlfriend. She'd never so much as said a mean word to him, let alone anything else, and here he was falling into old habits.

It was nearing the end of rehearsal when Carly decided to make her move. "It's now or never," she told herself as she summonsed Freddie.

"Hey, would you mind coming to stand in for Sam for a second?" she asked innocently enough.

Freddie walked over, unable to remember what bit came next. "It's the food fight bit," Carly reminded. "I figured I could take a sponge soaked in something and do this," she said as she backed Freddie into the prop car. He stumbled, falling back onto the hood. Carly put one bent leg up on the car, trapping him. She leaned into Freddie, planting a wet and passionate kiss on his lips.

Freddie was so surprised that it took him a minute to react. It was so hot, Carly running her finger through his hair, straddling him on the hood of the car that he almost forgot he had a girlfriend. Almost.

Once the thought processed in his head, he moved his hands up and pushed her away, gently as he could. He suddenly felt himself enraged. "Carly, what the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Freddie, I want you. Take me." The words sounded foreign to both of them, as if they'd taken a clip of someone else saying the words and played it over a video of Carly speaking. But this wasn't a video, it was real, too real, and Freddie didn't know what to do."

"Stop Carly, this is ridiculous. I don't know what's gotten into you but cut it out. This isn't fair. You can't do this to me," he vexed.

"Isn't fair?" she cried. "I'll tell you what isn't fair. What isn't fair is that you go to California for a week, meet some girl, and forget all about me. That isn't fair. What isn't fair is me not giving you the chance to tell you how I really feel?"

"You didn't have a chance. Really Carly? That's pretty funny," he said in an almost roar, chuckling angrily. "I could have _sworn_ that I'd been telling you how I felt about you for almost six years. I could have sworn that I threw myself in front of a truck to show you how I felt about you, and told you that if and when you ever decided you were ready, I was here. Don't tell me you never had a chance."

"You want to hear that I'm ready, Freddie? I'm ready! I'm ready to be with you, ready to love you. I have been for a while, I was just waiting for the right time to say something."

"Well I'm sorry you decided that on an off week, Carly. I don't know what to tell you. I can't help but think it's a little weird that you decide to come out with all of this now that I'm happy with Addie."

"Yeah Freddie, I decided to do this now. The clothes, the make-up, all this was for you and you know why? Because I'm stopping you from making a _huge_ mistake tomorrow night, and screwing everything up for us."

"For us? Really? What does this have to do with us? And who are you to tell me that this is a mistake?" he answered heatedly.

Tears stung in Carly's eyes. "It's a mistake because you're not supposed to be with her, you're supposed to be with me. I'm supposed to be your first and your last, now and forever because I love you and I know you love me," she screamed, so loud she feared she'd shatter her own lungs.

"How can you be so sure, Carly? How can you be so sure that I love you?" he asked, quietly.

She threw herself into Freddie, kissing him passionately again, holding him so tightly she feared she'd squeeze all the breath right out of him. She let go and spoke softly and seriously. "You can't deny that Freddie. You can't deny how that feels, no matter how much you want to, no matter how wrong you think it is. You can't deny that when I kiss you everything feels like that's how it's supposed to be."

The room grew silent for a minute. Freddie didn't know what to say at this point. It was too much for him to handle. "When were you going to tell me?"

"When you got back from California, the night I invited you over and you told me all about Addie."

He thought back to that night. He never could look her in the eye when he told her. He didn't even remember how he gathered up the strength to tell her. All he remembered was convincing himself he had to move on because she'd never come around. He remembered drilling into his own mind that it wasn't meant to be between him and Carly. And yet, here he stood, with Carly in front of him professing to him every word he'd wanted to hear for as long as he could remember.

Freddie stopped thinking and followed what his heart told him to do. He stepped toward Carly, gently wrapping his arms around her waist, and lowered his lips to hers. And for just a minute, the universe felt at balance.

"Surprise!" he heard another familiar voice, that of his girlfriend, causing his heart to freeze. Carly quickly peeled away from him.

"Oh my god, Freddie, what the hell is this?" Addie shrieked.

Neither Freddie nor Carly knew what to say, so they remained silent. Addie's eyes bounced between the two several times before her anger fully developed.

"Fredrick Benson, I can't believe you would cheat on me with this…thing!"

"His name is Fredward, not Fredrick," Carly interjected.

"Shut up slut," she retorted.

"Carly isn't a slut," Freddie said, stepping in front of Carly defensively.

"Hmm, a girl who steals another girl's boyfriend…sounds like a slut to me."

"Carly loves me, she's not a slut, and I'm not another girl's boyfriend. I'm hers. We're done."

"Freddie, why would you want to leave this" she said motioning to herself "for _that_?" She pointed to Carly disgustedly.

"Because I love this," he said putting his arm around Carly. "I can live without that."

Adriana huffed and puffed with disbelief. "Whatever, you dork! You and your stupid web show are so lame. At least college guys know what to do when they're alone with a girl, which is way more than I can say for you." She stormed out of the studio, slamming the door behind her.

Carly looked up at Freddie. "Thank you. You didn't have to do that. She was right; I was being kind of…scuzzy."

"No you weren't. You were right all along," he kissed her again before looking in her eyes. "This is truly undeniable."


End file.
